PULLMAN — For at least one day, the dust around the Pac-12’s expansion seems to have settled.
About a week after Washington State and Oregon State poached Mountain West Conference schools Boise State, Fresno State, San Diego State and Colorado State to rebuild the conference, the new Pac-12 had itself a day on Monday.
To wit, the conference…
• Secured a commitment from Utah State to join the league, bringing the Pac-12 to seven members, one short of the required eight, according to multiple reports
• Got turned down by targets Memphis, Tulane, UTSA and USF, which announced they’re staying in the American Athletic Conference
• Entered discussions with Gonzaga but did not add the Zags, whose athletic director Chris Standiford called an Action Network report stating they’re joining the Pac-12 “not accurate reporting”
• Is awaiting a decision from UNLV, which is weighing whether to stay in the Mountain West or accept an invitation to the Pac-12
It leaves both the Pac-12 and Mountain West with seven member schools, both one away from eight, which is the required number to compete as an FBS conference, per NCAA regulations.
It also makes the Pac-12’s next addition interesting: Hope UNLV accepts the invitation? Reach for Nevada? Those schools seem to be tied together to a certain extent because the Nevada System of Higher Education and its board of regents governs both schools and must approve decisions related to conference affiliation, according to a report from Yahoo Sports.
UNLV was set to remain in the Mountain West but, according to a report from ESPN, that was under the understanding that the MWC would remain at eight schools. When Utah State decided to join the Pac-12, the Runnin’ Rebels brass changed course and did not sign a formal agreement to stay in the MWC, which conference commissioner Gloria Nevarez is pushing for in order to keep her conference together.
Making Gonzaga’s potential addition a little tricky: Football has driven this wave of realignment, and that’s not a sport Gonzaga offers. The Zags’ allure is purely engineered by their basketball program.
In any case, the bill is adding up for the Pac-12, which is now on the hook to pay roughly a combined $145 million in exit fees, about $20 million per school, in time for the new members to start competition in the summer of 2026, the end of the two-year grace period with which WSU and OSU are operating at the moment.
The Pac-12 has a “war chest” of roughly $250 million, which it obtained last fall by winning a lawsuit against the departing 10 members of the conference, securing the conference’s assets and funds.
Central to the Pac-12’s pitch to potential new members is its annual payouts, which are estimated to be in the $10 million range, according to reports. That’s a few million more than the roughly $6 million the Mountain West shares with its schools — but there’s debate about the accuracy of the Pac-12’s estimated figures, which are coming from the conference itself.
WSU and OSU are operating this year under a scheduling agreement with the Mountain West, which is providing each school with games for this season. The Cougars’ first of those contests is set for Saturday evening on the road against No. 25 Boise State.
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